The technical field of the present invention is that of vehicles, the movement of which is provided by at least one electric motor. This field therefore includes electric vehicles, i.e. vehicles that are driven solely by an electric motor, and hybrid vehicles, i.e. vehicles that are driven by an electric motor and by an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the object of the invention is the system for the thermal conditioning of the passenger compartment of such a vehicle, as well as the thermal conditioning of at least one electrical component that makes up the electric power train of the vehicle.
The depletion of petroleum resources has led automobile manufacturers to develop vehicles that operate on the basis of new energy sources. One solution that represents an interesting alternative is that of the vehicle being driven using electric power. However, the absence of an internal combustion engine, or the unavailability of the internal combustion engine in hybrid vehicles, deprives the vehicle of an energy source for providing the thermal conditioning of the passenger compartment, particularly heating.
In order to overcome this drawback, the use of a conventional air-conditioning loop actuated by a compressor has been proposed, with the circulation of the coolant being organised so as to heat or cool an airflow fed into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The air-conditioning loop therefore operates according to a cooling mode, in which an evaporator reduces the temperature of the air flow fed into the passenger compartment, whereas a condenser placed at the front end of the vehicle provides the cooling for the coolant by discharging the calories into an air flow outside of the passenger compartment. The air-conditioning loop also operates in a heating mode, known as heat pump mode, in which the evaporator acts as the condenser by providing heating for the airflow fed into the passenger compartment. The condenser placed at the front end provides the evaporation function, with the outside air flow being cooled by its passage through the condenser at the front end.
The arrangement of the condenser at the front end of the vehicle is a disadvantage. This is because the space available at the front end becomes highly limited due to the installation of other components that are required for the electric power train. It is therefore necessary for the thermal exchanges to be organised differently, whilst providing the heating function and the cooling function using the simplest possible means.
Furthermore, the lifetime and the performance of the electric power train components, particularly the batteries, are conditioned by the temperature of the environment surrounding the component. It is therefore necessary to ensure that these components are maintained at a determined temperature, regardless of the temperature outside of the vehicle. Therefore, at least the heating of these batteries needs to be ensured when this outside temperature drops below a threshold that risks being detrimental to their proper operation.